The suggestion that President Obama is considering seeking re-election with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as his running mate instead of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2012 is “absolutely not true,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday.

There has been speculation before that Mrs. Clinton might run with Mr. Obama to bolster the Democrats’ chances in 2012, but Mr. Woodward’s comment immediately generated wide discussion on the Internet, with the Drudge Report posting the story with a banner headline.

Mr. Gibbs said that the president is pleased with both of his top aides’ performances in their current posts.

“I think the president will tell you that the decision to pick Joe Biden to be the vice president is one of the best decisions he’s made over the last few years,” he said, adding that the longtime senator is doing an “extraordinary job.”